Veggie Burgers

As the name suggests, this is a quick veggie burger recipe. Nonetheless, I find that most veggie burgers don’t really take that long to make. These were, however, my first black bean burgers. They’re quite different from any I’ve had before due to the lime, I believe. Enjoy them in a bun with avocado and a sharp cheese!

Yields 4-6 burgers

Ingredients:

2 ounces (about 1 slice) whole wheat bread

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

¾ teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano or ½ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Directions:

Grease and preheat an electric griddle to around 350F (177C) or medium-high heat.

Place the bread in a food processor and process about 4 times or until crumbs measure 1 cup. Transfer to a bowl.

Combine the oil and the beans in the processor. Pulse 8 times or until beans make a thick paste. Scrape bean mixture into bowl with the breadcrumbs. Stir in the rind and remaining ingredients.

With moistened hands, divide the bean mixture into 4-6 equal portions (about 1/3 cup mixture per portion) and shape each into a patty.

Add the patties to the griddle. Reduce the heat to medium and cook 4 minutes or until bottom edges are browned. Carefully turn the patties over. Cook for 3 more minutes or until bottom edges are done.

Comments: I don’t think you need more than 30 minutes to make these burgers. I didn’t have any hamburger buns but I love Rudi’s Spelt English Muffins and I added some avocado and goat cheese as well. I froze what I didn’t eat. You can later simply heat them in the microwave to thaw them.

I honestly don’t know how I came across this recipe but I’m glad I did. I think I was just browsing through some recipes on the website of La Nación (an Argentine newspaper) when I found this recipe and I though it sounded interesting. It’s a good alternative to the classic bean burger and has a great mélange of flavors I will describe later.

Yields 5 burgers

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

300g soy flour

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon dry oregano

Juice from 1 lemon

Zest from 1 lemon

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside

Put the beans into a large bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher.

Add the remaining ingredients and combine well.

Form the mixture into burgers and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Grease an electric griddle and heat to around 350F (177C).

Remove the burgers from the refrigerate and cook on the preheated griddle for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are a nice golden brown color.

Comments: I made these burgers quite thick like a regular hamburger and they were quite satisfying. I really loved this concoction. The touch of lemon and cheese gave them an incredible boost of flavor because, to be quite honest, if the burgers were just soy flour and beans they would be quite bland. The original recipe was not very specific about which kind of bean to use so I just went for what I could find but I think you can use any white bean; cannellini beans are always a good option for cooking. The recipe also said to use 150g of dry beans which you later have to soak and boil; I went for canned beans instead and made an estimate of how much I would need and they were great. When combining all the ingredients, I found it easier to use my hands than a fork or a spoon. I ate mine with a whole spelt English muffin and a salad and baked sweet potatoes on the side. Serve them however you like your burgers. You can freeze any uncooked burgers.

Update May 2016: After taking a couple of quarters off of school, I returned to college in late March for the Spring quarter. I basically shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any soy flour to make these burgers (same thing happened with the soy milanesas). So, I substituted the soy flour for vital wheat gluten. The vital wheat gluten gave the burgers a chewier consistency but less “mushy” and they obviously taste differently. They also have a slightly milder flavor and aftertaste. I think from now on, I will make this recipe with vital wheat gluten but you can decide what you prefer.

Besides the fact that in the picture they looked amazing, the name of these burgers stood out for me. Sweet potatoes? Amazing. Quinoa? Amazing. Spinach? Amazing. Red lentils? Amazing. Also, when looking at the ingredients list I saw feta cheese and that was it for me. These burgers combine a good variety of vegetables with whole grain and vegetarian protein. The spinach and lentils put together also make a great source of iron.

Yields 14 burgers

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dry quinoa (blond or black)

1/3 cup dry red lentils

1 2/3 cups water

1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, baked

3 cups chopped fresh spinach, tightly packed

3 ounces feta, crumbled

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup soy flour (you won’t use it all)

Directions:

Combine the quinoa, red lentils and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender and blond quinoa displays a thread and lentils are just tender. Drain off any water remaining in the pot through a strainer and then return to the pot. Cover the pot with a dishtowel and return the lid. Let sit undisturbed for 15 minutes.

Skin the sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the spinach and mash together with your hands. Add the quinoa and lentils, feta, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well.

Take up 1/3 cup of the mixture and form into a ball (wet your hands to reduce sticking). Roll the ball in the soy flour (or panko or chickpea flour) and gently flatten into a patty. Set on a greased baking sheet and continue with the rest of the mixture. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour or longer (the longer the better).

Preheat the oven to 450F (232C).

Place the burgers in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until browned and crispy on one side. Flip and cook for about 10 more minutes until browned and crispy on the other side.

Comments: These burgers offer a fantastic blend of flavors. You have the sweetness from the potatoes and the tanginess of the feta and they also have a brilliant color. The original recipe doesn’t actually say to bake them but to fry them. I started them off in an oven at 350F (180C) and made my way up to 450F when I saw they weren’t getting crispy. I realized that there was a reason for frying them; they are very soft. Therefore, I recommend frying them instead, which is what I’ll do in the future. To fry, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch, heavy nonstick frying pan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and place 4 to 5 patties in the pan without crowding. Cook until well browned on one side (about 4 minutes), turn and brown for about 4 more minutes. Remove to a rack set over a sheet pan and keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve. Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil or as needed to cook the remaining patties. We had these burgers with brown rice but they would go well with a salad as well. Try topping them with Greek yogurt.

Veggie burgers are amazing. Other than tasting good, there are thousands of possibilities. You can mix so many different beans and vegetables together. Here’s another recipe for veggie burgers. Lentils are a great source of protein as well as iron like the oats, a whole grain. These burgers are super easy and quick to cook up, perfect for a weekday meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked lentils

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons tomato purée

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

½ cup Quaker old-fashioned oats

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F (177C).

Pulse lentils in a food processor so most become mush-like but some whole and half lentils still remain.

Transfer the lentils to a mixing bowl and add the mustard, tomato purée and spices and stir to combine.

Add the oats and stir to combine.

Add the lemon juice and stir once more to combine.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide the mixture into six equal portions and shape into patties. Place on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, flip the patties over and bake for another 5 minutes or until the burgers are firm and crisp on the outside.

Comments: These burgers have a strong lemon flavor. My mom liked them but thought they should have a little less lemon juice; I was ok with it. When I ate some leftovers for lunch in a sandwich I found that the bread cuts the tanginess from the lemon a little and I thought they were even better with bread. They might also be good chopped up in a salad. If you really like the lemon, the book suggests adding lemon zest but I don’t think they need it.

I hate mushrooms. I always have. I don’t like that earthy taste, the almost metallic smell, the consistency…I hate them. Lately, however, I have been feeling a bit more open about trying new vegetables. That’s in part what motivated me to try out these burgers from one of my new vegetarian books. They are really good and you can’t taste the mushrooms at all. Like the book says, it is filled with whole-grain goodness and veggie power!

Yield: 6-12 burgers

Ingredients:

½ cup raw buckwheat

1-2 slices seeded whole-grain bread

1 cup rolled rye (I used oats instead)

2 cups button mushrooms, quartered

1 onion

small bunch of flat-leaf parsley

small bunch fresh thyme leaves

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 420F (215.5C).

Bring the buckwheat and 1½ cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Gently simmer, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the buckwheat is tender. Set aside to cool.

Place the slices of bread in a food processor and process until you have course breadcrumbs; set aside in a separate small bowl.

Add the rolled rye or oats to the food processor and process to a coarse flour. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place the chopped mushrooms in the same food processor and process until you have a ground meat consistency. Transfer to the same bowl as the prepared rolled rye or oats.

Process the onion with the fresh parsley and thyme until finely minced. Transfer to the mushrooms and rye/oats. Add the cooled buckwheat, nutritional yeast, mustard, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Using your hands, combine all the ingredients, adding the prepared breadcrumbs a little at a time until you have a good burger patty mixture that’s not too wet and holds together nicely. Set aside, covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook the burgers.

Roll portions of the patty mixture into balls and drop onto a greased baking sheet. Use a spatula to flatten down the patties. Place in the preheated oven. Bake for 5-10 minutes, then flip them to cook the other side for 5-10 more minutes or until they are golden and crunchy on the outside.

Comments: The original recipe included kale chips as a side and a tomato relish topping. I don’t like kale or tomatoes so I did not make them. I made Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges instead as a side dish. In my family we’ve never really had burgers in a bun but I’m sure these would be great in a whole-wheat bun. Add lettuce and tomatoes or whatever vegetable you desire. The book recommends eating them with either soy or regular mayo as well. They might even be good with some hummus. For the seeded whole-grain bread I used Oroweat 12 Grain, which was what we had, but you can probably also use bakery bread instead. If you are vegan, choose a vegan bread to make the crumbs. The original recipe said to grill the patties with some oil on a stovetop or barbecue grill pan over medium high heat. You can do that or use the oven like I did.

This is another great vegan recipe for Meatless Mondays. They are spicy, delicious, filling and full of fiber and protein.

Ingredients:

½ cup quinoa

1 cup water

1 tsp thyme

½ cup of corn (fresh, canned or frozen)

½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced

½ cup of red onion, finely diced

1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp smoked paprika

Juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup of oat flour (bought or homemade)

2-3 tbsp water

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F (190C)

In a medium pot, bring quinoa, water and thyme to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. When done, remove cover and let set for 10 minutes off heat.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the corn, red pepper and red onion. Dice the onion and red pepper so that they are about the size of the corn kernels.

Mash ¾ of the beans, leaving ¼ whole.

When the quinoa is ready, add the quinoa to the beans with the corn, red pepper, onion, oregano, paprika and lemon juice. Mix well.

Add in the flour and water. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper and other spices if desired.

Pat the mixture into the bowl and divide it into 4 using a knife, making a kind of cross. To form the burgers, take each section and pack it into a tight ball in the palm of your hands. Flatten it and place on a hard surface like a plate or clean countertop. Cup the edges with your hands and tighten them. Flatten the top to form the patty.

To cook, arrange the burgers on a greased or parchment- lined cookie sheet. Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through.

Comments: Another successful meal at home. If you do not want to buy oat flour, you can pulse the 1/3 cup of oats in a food processor. I was happily surprised to find that these burgers, unlike most quinoa ones, hold well without falling apart. I made mine on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and was a bit afraid they would break if I turned them over. So, I cooked them for 30 minutes without flipping and they were still fine. You could also cook them in an oiled skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side. They would go great with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, mashed avocado and, of course, in a bun. I made mine with spicy sweet potato wedges, another recipe you can find on my blog. Enjoy!